India and Bhutan have signed an intergovernmental agreement to build the Himalayan kingdom’s first rail connection, a move officials in New Delhi say will deepen economic and strategic ties. A Northeast Frontier Railway map shows the proposed 57-km Kokrajhar–Gelephu alignment, Bhutan’s first cross-border link, with planned stations and river crossings through Assam’s Chirang district. The initiative stems from years of study by Indian Railways’ Northeast Frontier Railway unit, which prepared the detailed project report. While the DPR itself has not been released, Indian officials say both alignments are fully surveyed and ready for tendering. Bhutan has long discussed potential rail links with India, but the projects gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Thimphu in March.